JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves compared his attending a crowded campaign event over the weekend to people who attended protests against police brutality.
Photos show Reeves at a crowded event in North Carolina for a Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Reeves is shown taking photos and sitting near people while he and they were not wearing a mask.
Both Mississippi and North Carolina have mask mandates.
Reeves said thousands of people attended protests in Mississippi in June. Reeves said there’s “public health risks to doing large political gatherings,” but Americans have the right to free speech.